I'm short on time, and I have a lot to say about the topic, but I am truly sick of receiving the "I'm having a baby!" messages ever since the outbreak of celebrity baby-mamas.

I have watched many of these soon-to-be parents "develop" over the years, and it scares the hell out of me that they will soon be responsible for someone else's life. Meanwhile, there seems to be a large group of intellectual and career oriented types who have solemnly vowed never to breed.

My question: Is it socially irresponsible to let the next generation grow up with incapable parents and propagate the generalized failure of mankind? Or are we sparing our own children from a horrible fate?

There are definately people who shouldn't be breeding, and it is somewhat irresponsible to allow them to have kids but we can't exactly stop them. Maybe it is time we brought back the process of sterilization.

I knew a guy who had 5 kids before he was 25. This guy used to be my friend until he started pumping out all these kids, kids he could not afford. He was constantly borrowing money that was never repayed so I cut him off. This last xmas he had the nerve to tell me his entire year was ruined because I wouldn't give him any money when he asked for it. Naturally I lost it, and ended up telling him that it isn't might fault he keeps having kids when he cant even hold down a fucking job for more than a month. I haven't heard from him since and my life has been a lot smoother.

There is a movie, Idiocracy, I see that becoming reality if we don't stem the mass reproduction of all the stupid people.

You know, it's funny you say that. I have been wondering a similar thing for quite some time now. Maybe it was 2 years ago or so that I was wandering through Borders and I suddenly came across "Pregnancy for Dummies."

Alright, albeit I understand the purpose of such a book, but Pregnancy for Dummies? Really? Can't you just feel the sardonic ironic as a tightly wrapped pall one might feel they can't remove?

I'll be honest, it sickens me as well. It seems that these days there is a cultivating of this diseased type of animal - a class that almost seems to be right out of Brave New World perhaps. The troubling part is that these people don't just affect simply themselves. I know people who choose not to work proper jobs, not because they can't but simply because they think it too difficult or troublesome. And furthermore, they then seek aid from the government, and have babies to fill quotas for further aid, wasting the money of taxpayers for what exactly?

I'm not about to say every situation is going to be thus, but you have to admit that it happens far too often for one to be comfortable with it.

If you are not even capable of supporting yourself, why choose to breed?

Alright, albeit I understand the purpose of such a book, but Pregnancy for Dummies? Really? Can't you just feel the sardonic ironic as a tightly wrapped pall one might feel they can't remove?

I know exactly how you feel. It is like how condoms come with instructions. I have always felt that if you need instructions to figure out how to use a condom, you should NOT be having sex.Kind of like this warning label I saw on a curling iron once that said, "Do not insert into any orifice". Im sure they had to put that on their for liability reasons, the same reason the disposable coffee cups warn you that the contents may be hot; but things of that nature should be obvious. It is just further evidence that our society is becoming stupider with every season of American Idle. (that was an intentional mispelling, if you don't get it. You might very well be the type of person I am talking about)

obviously there's a great number of people we wouldn't judge as being fit to be parents.(i work with a guy who has 6 kids by 5 mothers. he would be on the short list.)

but, this is not China. to limit or enforce or even monitor child bearing would be pure undiluted fascism.

a better solution, in a make-believe utopia, would be to abolish welfare for those whose only disability is chronic pregnancy, and to enforce the various "deadbeat dad" laws that are already on the books.

that said, it will never happen. and in times of economic hardship people will breed even more. drinking, fucking, gambling, and stealing are about to skyrocket worldwide.

The Australian government introduced a "Baby Bonus Scheme" as an incentive for people to have more children to boost the economy - $6000 a baby.

Now, nearly every woman I see around here thats of breeding age are just pumping them out- two in the pram, and another one on the way('Can hardly wait till I drop this bundle Hank, then we can get that Flat-screen we've been hangin' for")

All I see is a bunch of walking incubators.

Too many idiots are being given cash incentives to multiply over here,the stupid breeding with the brain-dead in SO many cases, and a clear example of the able-bodied being forced to indulge the inept- they'd rather stay home and stay constantly pregnant, sucking off the tit of the Tax-payer instead of getting out and doing some real work, or using their brains.

Stop the cash flow, and at least implement some kind of test to see whether half of these fuckwits are capable of nurturing a houseplant, let alone a child.. there is too much child abuse/neglect going on to live by the adage that "everyone has the right to have a child"

Maybe a more extreme measure would be implementing compulsory birth control for all,and performing a "competency test" and undergoing a physical /mental evaluation before being able to breed.

What the balls?!?!? So basically they're saying "ok, so in exchange for bringing a time-consuming and money-devouring little bundle of stress into your life, which will prove to be a near-lifelong financial burden, we'll give you a nickel." CONGRATU-FUCKING-LATIONS. Way to go, Austrailia.

Not to insult anybody who has kids, but seriously, the incentive bonus is an absolute joke. Only morons would go for it... which would mean more morons would be reproducing....

I think the incentive bonus here is a nauseating concept, and too many morons are going for it-I'm referring to the losers that have never worked for a living or contributed anything remotely worthwhile to themselves or society all gleefully pouncing on this incentive and reproducing a new generation of losers who grow up watching Mum and Dad parasitically leeching off society,not working for themselves, or doing anything constructive.

Their spawn are going to act no different,but hey it's the norm!It's all they know, and it's all a lot of them are ever going to know while the Aussie Gov' continue to keep championing irresponsibility.

I respect peoples need to merge themselves and their genuine loved one into a "cute little replica"- IF their dedicated to the needs of the child, and what it really entails to help them grow into a constructive, well adjusted adult, but there are too many imbecilic people replicating themselves out there, with Federal encouragement in Oz's case.

The staggering amount of illiterate children in the Australian education system is a woeful testimony to idiots being allowed to breed.

The Australian government introduced a "Baby Bonus Scheme" as an incentive for people to have more children to boost the economy - $6000 a baby.

Utterly insane. Or perhaps "udderly" to invoke the cow image.

A sane proposal would be to target the top scientists and mathematicians and offer them $600,000 for each kid.

Originally Posted By: spiderbreeder

Now, nearly every woman I see around here thats of breeding age are just pumping them out- two in the pram, and another one on the way('Can hardly wait till I drop this bundle Hank, then we can get that Flat-screen we've been hangin' for")

All I see is a bunch of walking incubators.

What a nightmare.

Originally Posted By: spiderbreeder

Maybe a more extreme measure would be implementing compulsory birth control for all,and performing a "competency test" and undergoing a physical /mental evaluation before being able to breed.

Precisely what I would advocate. I would add this thought. Many scientists and mathematicians may be poor candidates for parenthood because they lack the necessary nurturing skills. Wherever that turned out to be the case, I would hire people to raise the children. But I would always do everything I could to encourage scientists and mathematicians to breed.

Many scientists and mathematicians may be poor candidates for parenthood because they lack the necessary nurturing skills.

This is one of the most stupid assumptions I ever heard in my life! Why would scientists and mathematicians be poor candidates for parenthood? Because you ASSUME they are at average asocial? Because you ASSUME they have less psychological skills? Dude, that's just plain bullshit.

Quote:

A sane proposal would be to target the top scientists and mathematicians and offer them $600,000 for each kid.

If you knew just a little bit more about science you wouldn't have made this statement. Smart parents doesn't necessary breed intelligent children.

While it would be wonderful to dump a load of sterilizers in the water supplies of ghettos and trailer parks, I think it would work against a country's best interest.

Take a look at Japan, where their birth rates have slowed to the point where there are now more elderly people than babies born to replace them. Companies like Canon have decided that twice a week, their employees will be sent home a few hours early, in order to reconnect with their families and hopefully produce some new babies.

It's been happening for some time now in virtually every industrialized country. Even the US is teetering on the edge, with a birth rate of 2.05.

There are plenty of smart kids that are born to dumb-assed parents, just as there are stupid kids that go and get themselves killed by drinking drain cleaners, are born to wealthy, successful parents. It's all about education, and making sure it's available for all.

If the stupids do all the breeding for us (not saying that everyone with children are stupid, by any means!), then that takes the onus of keeping the replacement birth rates off of our backs, and we can be free to indulge in our selfishness as we see fit. That's how I look at it anyway, as I really don't like being around kids, and don't want my body to go to shit from having one.

It's beginning to occur to me that maybe this is nature's way of creating some sort of equilibrium to the situation. I mean, there are 6+ billion people in the world right? Maybe all of these stupid people are now breeding to cause mass havoc, possibly wars due to failing economies that are insufficient at maintaining the compulsions of the lesser masses, and then with the death rates rocketing everything evens out. Of course that's entirely dependent on a myriad of uncommented factors; I just thought I'd throw it out there though. My mind often runs on these pointless tangents.

It's beginning to occur to me that maybe this is nature's way of creating some sort of equilibrium to the situation.

I had the same thought this morning while I was driving to work. Maybe all of these anti-children advocates are just natures way of balancing everything out... though I don't think it's going to cause any sort of mass havoc. I do however feel that it's a strain on those of us who opt out. I mean, why does MY tax bill have to get jacked up because little bobby's mommy or daddy can't figure out a place to live? And do they really need to be rewarded for their failures with luxury apartments while the rest of us struggle to survive? It hardly seems like a fair trade off.

I'll admit my parents were both screw ups. I think I turned out OK in spite of that... it just cost me a fortune in therapy.

Perhaps the thought of mankind evolving into an Ant colony has been a bit too heavy for me to accept... But the more I think about it... maybe we've always been one and I'm just waking up now.

This was starting a bit like the Eugenics thread, or Satanism vs. Nazism for about 2 seconds...

Jesus.

How about no encouragement, no discouragement?

I posted something like this a while back, so please excuse me, if you've read it before...

When we had our twins... not on purpose! Not trying!!!!

Boy and a girl... believe me, we weren't ready, not even for one.

So this macho Mexican guy with whom I used to work, and this isn't about his race, although it is worth mentioning in this case... tells me "You got lucky, man." "I have three daughters, and if it wasn't for my son..."

I didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. I just nodded and smiled...

My wife actually had to decode for me later his unspoken words... "He's a man, he wants a son to carry his name, the 'family' name.".

I never, ever thought about this in my life, and I was taken aback, realizing my ignorance on so many levels.

I just wanted a "healthy" kid... I wasn't even thinking about preserving "myself", or my 'family name' for future generations. This is obviously important, now, I guess. I'm glad I have a son, and that the "family" name will go on in this particular vein... I'm mostly just happy they look more like her.

Do I have a point? Really? What the hell was it?

Anyway, I'm sure this may mean something to someone, any "macho men" out there, or "macho women"?